


Feel My Heartbeat Race

by brokenhighways



Series: The Thrill [4]
Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Coming Out, Drama, M/M, Social Media
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-24 21:43:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12021615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenhighways/pseuds/brokenhighways
Summary: Zero accidentally outs himself on Instagram; pandemonium ensues.





	Feel My Heartbeat Race

**Author's Note:**

> Finally. This story was stuck in the editing and half-written phase for a LONG time. It probably sucks, but I hope someone likes it. Lol!

i.

They've never really talked about making their relationship public, at least not really. Zero's always made sure that Jude's okay with them keeping things quiet and he's made his people sign enough non-disclosure agreements that he's not worried about them leaking anything. He knows that Clive and Laura won't say anything. Lionel is a loose cannon, but she wouldn't stoop that low, and Derek seems like more of a blackmail guy than anything.

With that in mind, he rests easy and focuses on his time with Jude, at least until he gets drunk at his birthday party and fucks up.

“This is bad,” Clive is saying as he stares at the television screen. E!News have been looping an Instagram video of Zero kissing _Jude_ in the back of the limo that dropped them off. It's not even a security camera video, but a shaky ten second clip that clearly shows Zero's face.

Jude turns to look at him. “This is _worse_ than bad.”

Zero watches as Jude turns back to watch the screen with the same dazed look he's been wearing since they heard about this. He knows that he should say something - _anything -_ but he's still struggling to wrap his head around his colossal fuck up.  

“Oh, you guys are being dramatic, this is fucking hilarious!” Laura chimes in, cackling away until she realises that they're all looking at her with unimpressed expressions. “What? You need to loosen up.”

Clive snorts, scratching at his jaw while he says, “That's what got them into this mess, remember?”

Zero slumps back into the couch with a heavy intake and release of air. He looks around the room and drinks the sight in. He wants to remember everything just in case it crashes down around him. The granite flooring that was a bitch to install, the stupid LED lights that supposedly give the room character (and adds a couple of zeros to the electricity bills).

There's the round cream coloured coffee table. The plasma TV is attached to the wall (at the third attempt because when Clive says _I think we need a professional_ it's better to listen and not incur hundreds of dollars of damages). The long tan couch that his sister insists looks better than the one he had before. Hell, he’s even going to miss the weird fake fireplace that glows endlessly.

“Listen Zero, we need to put out a statement within the next few hours,” his agent says just before he snaps his briefcase shut, his forehead wrinkling as he lets out an impatient huff.

Zero's been trying to remember the guy's name for the past few minutes, but he's come up blank. It hasn't been that long since the agency assigned him a new agent and he has to admit that he's been too busy to build up a rapport with the guy.

“Who are you again?” Laura asks, because for all of her lawyer aspirations, she still hasn't quite grasped the concept of _tact._

 _“_ Lucas, Zero's agent,” _Lucas_ says with a forced smile. He glances around at everyone before he redirects his gaze to Zero. “So, what are we going with? Dare? Drunken kiss? A bet that got out of hand?”

Everybody turns to look at Zero but he doesn't have an answer for them.

He's _still_ trying to wrap his mind around what's happening.

He's really going to miss his couch.

ii.  


Lionel claims that she's a pro at handling crises so they draft her into Zero's makeshift damage control team. Luckily for her, Zero's too concerned about the floor falling out from beneath him to worry about her trying to sabotage him.

“I say that we put everything out there,” Lionel suggests with a sweeping gesture. “We can get someone to give us airtime, and then Jude and Zero become a star couple with a famous hag who _maybe_ gets a career boost out of the attention.”

Everyone stops to look at her except for Clive who seems to be engrossed by a particularly challenging game of _Words With Friends_ on his phone. It says a lot that Zero can't muster up a joke about Clive's inability to spell.

“What?” Lionel says defensively, lowering brow and crossing her arms over her chest. “You can't blame a girl for trying.”

Laura stands up then and says, “Why don't you just tell the truth?”

Clive look shakes his head ruefully. “The truth doesn't always set you free, kiddo. And in this case, the truth won't make us the big bucks.”

Everyone turns to look at _him_.

“What?” Clive says indignantly “There's some _serious_ money to be made.”

“There's also some serious money to be _lost_ ,” Laura fires back. “Not that money is the most important thing here.”

“You know I have a suggestion,” Lucas chimes in cheerfully. “How about you all shut the fuck up and let the professionals handle this? Okay? Thank you. Zero, I'm going to be back in an hour and unless you tell me otherwise, I'm going with a drunken bet that you were simply honouring.”

With that Lucas gathers his briefcase and saunters out of Zero's kitchen.

“He's kind of rude,” Laura says, her eyes narrowed as she watches Lucas go. “Anyway, I gotta jet too. That good for nothing non-boyfriend of mine wants to see me.”

Zero glances at his watch and looks back up at her. “It's past midnight.”

“Happy Birthday!” Laura calls out loudly as she heads out.

Lionel watches her go with a rueful expression. “That girl is nothing but trouble.”

“It runs in the family,” Clive says as he dips his ranch chips into what's left of the guacamole.

Zero's about to make a snide remark when he realises that Jude's been eerily quiet. So far this has been about Zero and how it affects _him_ , mostly because the angle of the video means that no one can really see Jude's face, but that doesn't make it any less about _them._

“Can you guys give Jude and me a second?” Zero asks, watching as the pallor of Jude's face colours his stillness.

Lionel and Clive go silently when they pick up on the tension bleeding from Jude in waves.

“Talk to me,” Zero says when it's just them. He inches closer to Jude on the couch, but stops short of touching him.  “Are you freaking out?”

Jude looks up and shrugs helplessly. “Oscar isn't going to be happy about this if he finds out that _I'm_ the guy.”

Zero hasn't even considered Oscar in all of this and he finds that he really doesn't care. The guy might be paying his enormous salary but that's business.

This is _personal_. Something that Oscar knows nothing about.

“Oscar's opinion doesn't matter,” Zero say, his tone harsh because he doesn't want to sit here and talk about what Oscar's reaction may or may not be.

Jude swallows audibly and thumbs his ear briefly before he replies. “Either way, I don't think we should tell anyone. We can go with that stupid drunken bet story that Lucas came up with.”

Zero didn't think he could feel any sense of horror deeper than when he awoke from his drunken stupor to find everyone gawping at the television screen. Listening to Jude downplay them is worse somehow, but Zero does his best not to show his disappointment. He rubs at his bottom lip and makes a _hmm_ sound with his throat.

“I guess you're right,” he speaks up eventually, “It doesn't make sense to jeopardise everything over one stupid mistake.”

“Exactly.” Jude agrees with an emphatic nod. “I'm not the one in the public eye and I don't want to be. But I don't want to leave you in the lurch…. So...I don't know. I guess this is what we have to do.”

He sounds so lost that the response on the tip of Zero's tongue dies.

“I need a drink,” he says instead, even though that's what got them in this mess to begin with.

In this instance, he finds that he doesn't really care anymore.

iii.

Zero sits in his home office by himself, nursing an untouched drink for so long that he loses track of time. When he makes it back downstairs, Lucas is in the kitchen talking to Jude. Zero's about to glance away when he sees Lucas place a hand on Jude's shoulder. There's a sense of familiarity there, but Zero isn't aware that they knew each other before today.

“Oh, Zero,” Lucas calls when he spots Zero. His hand falls off Jude's shoulder instantly. “What have you decided?*

Jude's gaze falls downward and Zero glares at his agent.

“Drunken kiss,” he mutters petulantly, like this is someone else’s fault and not his own. “The guy I kissed is an old friend who was in town for my party. Done.”

Lucas smiles at him happily, his hands literally rubbed together with glee. “I'll work on a statement and E! or some other ghastly network will probably call us for an interview spot tomorrow. Can you do that?”

“Sure, whatever,” Zero says, suddenly feeling tired “I'm going to hit the hay, call me in the morning and we'll talk then.”

Lucas departs after giving Jude a subtle nod and aiming a mock salute in Zero's direction.

Clive, who's now at the kitchen table and appears to have moved on from the chips to a tub of ice cream, looks up curiously. “Do you need anything?”

That's his way of asking if Zero is okay, but nobody wants to know the real answer to that.

iv.  


The statement doesn't really calm things down.

Zero's left to deal with more paparazzi than usual and fans calling out outrageous questions in the street. It's nothing he isn't used to but he's hit with pensiveness each time it happens. His relationship with Jude has come to mean more than he ever expected and using some flimsy excuse to cover it up makes him feel like a fraud. It's like _they_ don't matter and that upsets him.

“Gideon, what the hell is the matter with you?” Laura asks when he's driving them arena for the Devils next home game.

“Nothing,” he tells her as they come to stop at a red light.

He's been quiet for most of the ride, despite her repeated attempts to make conversation.

Laura watches him closely. “This is about the kiss, right? Did Jude not want you to to lie?”

“He doesn't want to be in the public eye.” Zero shrugs. “He okayed the statement, so you know, I think he's good.”

“He actually said that?” Laura asks, with disbelief colouring her tone. “Is he stupid? He's dating a professional basketball player. It's a little late for that.”

Zero shrugs again and powers forward when the light turns green.

“Is that why you've been moping about?” Laura adds with a raised eyebrow. “I thought it was because your agent was eye fucking Jude like crazy that night. That guy has no chill.”

Zero keeps his eyes on the road but his grip on the steering wheel tightens. “I trust Jude.”

They leave the conversation at that.

~

Zero has a great game, but all anyone wants to know about is the kiss. By the time he's managed to get through the questions, Jude _and_ Lucas are waiting for him in the hallway by the locker room. They're talking closely when he sees them, only stopping when they notice him approaching.

“We lost an endorsement,” Lucas says without any preamble. “Some homophobic bigot who didn't buy your story.”

Zero's just played one of his best games of the season and all this jackass can do is tell him that some douchebag doesn't want to pay him anymore.

“Hi, Zero, how’s it going? Great game, by the way.” Zero imitates Lucas with a cold smile. “Gee thank you, agent. I'm glad that you're actually taking an interest in my welfare. How kind of you.”

Jude clears his throat uncomfortably but remains silent.

Lucas laughs uneasily. “Sorry, I was just trying to keep you informed. It was indeed a great game. Keep playing like that and everyone will forget all about the kiss.”

Zero feels his anger rising and it must show on his face because Jude pulls Lucas back and says, “We should leave Zero to change. We'll be waiting for you at the Playground,

Jude smiles at him, but Zero doesn't return it when he sees the way Lucas is watching Jude. He recognises that look, the unwavering gaze and softened eyes. He meant what he told Laura before, he trusts Jude. Enough to know that he doesn't need to stake his claim or rip Lucas's eyeballs out (even though he really wants to). That doesn't mean that he's going to stick around and watch.

“Don't bother, I'm going to head home with Laura,” he says. “I'll see you later.”

“Zero, what’s th--” Jude starts before Zero interjects.

“--I gotta go. I'll see you.”

He turns and enters the locker room before Jude can utter another word.

~

Lionel calls Zero later that night to ask him about Lucas.

“How long have you known this guy?”

Zero rolls his eyes and puts her on speaker. “He's been my agent for a couple of weeks. Why?”

“There's something off about him,” she muses. “He was all over Jude at the Playground, which is odd. Why would Jude downgrade from a baller to a lowly agent? Financially, it doesn't even make sense.”

Zero snorts loudly. “Not everyone can say that they took Gold Digger 101. That honour belongs to you.”

Lionel laughs darkly. “You know, I was going to tell you about an interesting conversation that I was privy to, but if you're going to be catty maybe I'll keep it to myself.”

“What was the conversation about?” Zero asks because what the hell, he's curious.

“I overheard Lucas telling Jude that it was in your best interest to not go public,” Lionel says. “I didn't think he'd actually go for it, but I'm guessing he did. I'm sure he spun you a line about Oscar, but you and I both know that either way, that man is a useless sack of shit who doesn't care.”

At this point, Zero's heard enough. “Thanks for telling me, Lionel.”

“Just remember my good deed the next time you do a major interview!” Lionel says before she hangs up. Zero shakes his head. He has to admire her tenacity.

Jude chooses that moment to come in, still dressed in the suit he wore to the game. After a quick greeting, he leans down to kiss Zero who turns his head at the last minute.

“Hey, yourself,” Zero mutters. “How was the post game party?”

He knows that the media will be curious about his absence but he doesn't care. He's been pawed at enough over the past few days.

Jude frowns, but he ignores the thwarted kiss and shrugs off his jacket. “It was okay. Lucas fielded a _lot_ of questions about you. I tried texting you.”

Zero flops back onto his large California King and says, “I had Clive hook me up with a new number. Didn't he send it to you?”

Jude's unbuttoning his shirt and his hands still at Zero's words. “No. He didn't.”

Zero starts to shrug before he remembers that he's lying down. A huge part of him wants to reassure Jude, but the other part of him just wants to sleep and forget that his boyfriend doesn't think he's worth being in the public eye for. That Jude apparently wants to spend the rest of his life hiding on the say so of a scumbag agent who's only interested in dollar signs.

“I'm pretty beat,” Zero says in lieu of trying to explain away Clive's incompetence. “I'll talk to you in the morning.”

v.  


The morning comes and brings a huge argument with it.

Only it's not between Zero and Jude.

Zero walks into the kitchen just as a bagel whizzes in the air and strikes Jude's head with scarily accurate precision.

“I have four more bagels that I'm not afraid to launch at your head,” Laura is saying when Zero starts trying to make sense of it all.

“That's real mature,” Jude snaps coldly, leaving Zero surprised because he's never spoken to Laura like that before. Or anyone. He's almost scared to ask what they're arguing about.

He's fairly certain he already knows the answer.

“ _Mature_ is not throwing my brother under the bus,” Laura retorts, with her index finger curled up in an accusatory gesture. “ _Mature_ is not leaving him to fend for himself. You're selfish. I'm sick of you moping around like anyone is even bothering you.”

Jude makes a point of glancing at the bagel that's lying by his feet. “But _mature_ is throwing breakfast at me, right?”

He doesn't respond to the rest and Zero is immensely grateful.

Laura looks like she's about to make good on her threat when Zero finally decides to step in.

“Jude, can I talk to you?”

Jude doesn't reply but he follows when Zero beckons for them to head outside. They go through the kitchen patio doors and stop in the backyard area that Zero never really pays attention to.

“What the hell is going on?” he demands to know.

Jude rolls his eyes. “Apparently _I'm_ the bad guy for stopping you from throwing your career away.”

Zero is momentarily taken aback. “I thought that you said you didn't want to be in the public eye.”

Jude's gaze wavers briefly before he nods and says, “That too.”

Zero examines Jude closely and it's obvious that there's more to his weird behaviour than having Zero's career in mind. Perhaps it's what Lionel claims Lucas said or maybe it's something else. Zero's not about to force it out of him.

“Look, whatever issue you and I have is between us. Don't talk to my sister like that again.”

Jude scoffs in disbelief, his eyes flashing angrily as he says, “Oh, but she can say whatever she wants to me. You know what? Have it your way. I'm out of here.”

Before Zero can respond, Jude marches around the corner, taking the pathway that leads to the driveway.

Zero watches him with a familiar feeling of regret starting to swirl in his stomach.

“Aww, you defended me,” Laura says from where's she's been blatantly eavesdropping by the doors. She approaches him slowly and from the hesitant smile on her face, is knows that she's worried that he's upset with her.

“Only because I'm annoyed with him,” Zero says, even though they both know that's not the truth. “Can you refrain from throwing bagels at him next time?”

Laura shrugs. “I'll think about it. You know, Lucas tried that same schtick on all of us. Convince you to say that it was nothing. He did know that you and Jude were dating, right?”

Zero nods, because out of the few people aware at the agency, Lucas is one of them.

“And you don't find it at all suspicious that he's been hanging around Jude?”

Zero frowns. “Hanging around?”

Laura retrieves her phone and shows Zero a post that says ' _hangin w/the Devils P_ T’. Above the caption is a picture of Jude and Lucas hugged up closely for the picture. Zero barely gives it a second glance before he looks back up at her.

“So? Jude is allowed to have friends, even if I don't like them.”

He's not about to give her any more ammunition by making it into a big deal.

“You do realise that Lucas is gay, right?” Laura intones. “He's also not a pro basketball player in a sport with approximately _zero_ out players and he probably has minimal baggage. _And_ his eyebrows are _perfect._ ”

When she puts it like that….

After a moment's hesitation, Zero glares at her. “Don't you have anything better to do than meddle in _my_ life? How's your job hunting going?”

Laura coughs uncomfortably and mutters, “Slow.”

Zero raises an eyebrow. “There you go, how about you focus on speeding it up and you leave Jude and Lucas to me.”

Laura sighs wistfully, and her shoulders slump slowly. “I could lie to you and say that I will but I won't. Look, I didn't wait years to be reunited with you only to be relegated to the back seat whenever you have something going on.”

Zero eyes her carefully because he's quickly learning that she could manipulate her way out of a jail cell if she needed to. She's also smart, shrewd and exactly the kind of person he needs in his corner.

“How would you like to be my co-manager?” he asks her suddenly. It's not like Clive will care, but just for the sake of it, he decides that it'll be better if she reports to him.

“You want me to help manage your career?” Laura says. “Have you forgotten how annoying I am?”

“It's like you said, I need people I can trust. With everything happening, you're that person. I obviously can't trust Lucas.”

“But you trust me?”

“Well, yeah, you're family.”

There's a long pause in which she just stares at him with wonder. It's unnerving I'm a way and he's grateful that she breaks the silence after a minute or so.

“Crap dammit, fine, I took your Porsche out even though you've forbidden me from driving it and I dented it. I ruined your pride and joy and _worse_ , I got Jude to help me fix it so that you wouldn't notice.”

“I know, he told me,” Zero says without missing a beat. “He also convinced me to let it slide.”

Or as Jude put it: _I'm not going to help you bury the body._

Laura groans and drapes her arms over her chest.  “I owe him an apology don't I?”

Zero nods. “Yup.”

“Fine. But _you're_ still mad at him, right?”

Zero doesn't know.

vi.

Making Laura his manager means that he has to deal with Clive bitching at him for twenty minutes, something about him lacking basic manners and decorum. Two words that Zero never would have guessed that Clive even _knew_.

Once that's over, he heads over to the arena. He's not surprised to see Lucas exiting the building with the arrogant expression he seems to wear constantly.

“I'll call you later,” he says without taking second to stop. Zero rolls his eyes but keeps going until he gets to Jude’s office. Once he's there, he glances back and then shuts the door behind him.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Jude asks, standing up from behind his desk. “Is everything okay?”

Zero raises his eyebrows. “We had an argument, remember?”

Jude rolls his eyes. “Ah, how could I forget? You were okay with your sister throwing breakfast at my head.”

“I wasn't okay with that, but at the same time, you weren't exactly in the right either. None of this is _her_ fault.”

“No, it's _yours_ for posting that video,” Jude snaps, although, there's no real malice in his tone.

This time Zero rolls _his_ eyes. “Oh, relax. It's not like anyone knows it's you. Plus, you seem to have made a new _friend_ out of all of this.”

“If you're talking about Lucas then there's nothing going on,” Jude says, taking a step closer to Zero.

Zero wasn't really going to accuse him of anything so he finds the remark odd. Still, he believes Jude and he's not about to create more drama when he's already knee deep in it.

“I know,” he says with a step forward of his own, “and I'm sorry about before and for all of this. I came here to make up with you.”

Jude glares at him angrily. “You're not doing a very good job so far.”

“I'm sorry for not having your back, okay,” Zero says. “I know that you're not selfish. Just ignore Laura.”

“Yeah, like that's possible,” Jude mutters. Zero can't help snickering at the way Jude is honest to God pouting. His hand snakes out and grabs Jude's tie. He uses it to tug Jude close enough that their faces are almost touching.

“You know what I've always wondered.” Zero's voice is a quiet whisper and he watches Jude's throat work up and down when he swallows audibly.

“What?” Jude asks, his breath ghosting on Zero's face.

Zero smiles and makes a show of looking behind them. “Just how sturdy is your desk?”

Jude groans and pushes Zero away. “We're not having sex in my office. Or any other public places.”

He looks so flustered that Zero feels bad for making the joke. He chases after Jude, not stopping until they're close enough to touch again.

“ _Fine_ ,” he says grudgingly. “How about a kiss?”

“If it'll shut you up,” Jude grumbles, but there's no mistaking the mischievous gleam in his eye.

Zero grins to himself as Jude leans in and presses his mouth against his.

vii.

Clive and Laura are waiting for Zero and Jude when they get back. Clive looks downright _murderous_ and Laura looks like the cat that got the cream.

Zero's barely managed to drop his keys somewhere before Clive begins his tirade.

“Zero, I've put up with a lot of shit from you, but this by far, has to be the worst thing I've ever endured.”

What follows next is a seemingly endless rant that tapers off into a confusing argument between Laura and Clive.

“You can't just make her co-manager just like that,” Clive insists when he redirects his ire back to Zero. “There's an _art_ to what I do.”

Laura scoffs and folds her arms. “All you do is _raid_ the fridge. A _good_ manager would have handled Zero's growing image crisis by now.”

Clive stares at her like she has three heads. “That's his _agent's_ job. We're the _babysitters_. Our job is to make sure that he doesn't spill food on himself.”

“ _Correction,_ that's _your_ job,” Laura retorts sharply, her jaw clenching as she throws her hands up as if to say ‘ _I give up’._ “Mine is to co-manage your sorry attempt at managing and actually _be_ a manager.”

That seems to be her final word because she stomps off without so much as a backwards glance. There's loud thundering on the steps before the faint sound of a door being slammed shut.

Jude hums thoughtfully and turns to face Zero. “Next time you give a family member a job, you should go with _image consultant.”_

 _“_ Shut up,” Zero says, although there's no heat in his tone. He looks in the direction of the stairs. “I've created a monster haven't I?”

“You don't say,” Clive mutters.

viii.

Lucas makes another house call the following morning. This time Zero's waiting for him with a list of scarily astute points and demands that his sister put together.

“So, I've had some people go over our reaction to my little snafu, and I think there's several places where we can try and improve the outlook,” Zero says, hoping that he’s saying everything the way Laura said he should.

Lucas gives him an awkward smile. “I did what you asked me to do. I put out a statement saying that it was just a bet.”

Zero frowns because that _is_ true. Still. “Yeah. Sure, we agreed on that, but you should have known to include something about me not causing any offense. I mean, kissing someone as a bet and posting it just screams _attention wh--and_ wait a minute.”

Zero realises that Laura's points don't exactly paint him in the best light.

“Look, Zero, you chose to do what you did and I just helped you craft your message to the public,” Lucas says smoothly with a slick smile. “It'll all blow over.”

Zero narrows his eyes, suddenly irritated by Lucas's easy exterior.

“What about the part where you told Jude to convince me that coming out wasn't in my best interests.”

Lucas snorts, and tugs on his tie gently. “I'm not going to apologize for that. It's _not_ in any of our best interests.”

This time the smile is forced and Zero watches as Lucas starts to fiddle with his briefcase in front of him. It's almost like there's something on his mind.

“So you didn't have any ulterior motives?” Zero questions him slowly, making sure that his gaze never wavers.

Lucas shakes his head and bows it down toward the table. “If this is about me kissing Jude you have my word that it won't happen again.”

Zero blinks at him slowly. “Your _word?_ ”

His right hand clenches into fist as he stares at Lucas. While he's mentally debating on whether or not he should punch him, Laura rushes in with Clive hot on her heels.

“Zero, can I talk to you about something?” she says, her tone practically screaming _don't do anything stupid._

Zero doesn't even look at her before he says, “Lucas and me aren't done here.”

Clive clicks his tongue. “Actually, you are because Lucas's mother called. She's been in a... boat accident.”

Lucas frowns, brow raised as he looks at Clive. “My mother died when I was five.”

“Nice going asshole,” Laura hisses as she jabs Clive in the side. She turns back to Lucas and adds, “I suggest you get out of here before Zero punches you in the face.”

It's only then that Lucas seems to realise how still Zero's become. He meets Zero's gaze head on, but he doesn't comment on it.

“Sure, I'll just be on my way,” he says hurriedly after turning back to Laura. “I'll call you later.”

“That won't be necessary,” Laura says with her arms folded across her chest. “You're fired. The flirting I could _maybe_ have overlooked but kissing Jude? I don't think so. The agency will see that everything is in order.”

“Nothing happened,” Lucas is insisting even as Clive directs him towards the door with the briefcase in tow. “It was one stupid kiss and Jude didn't even reciprocate.”

Hearing that _should_ make Zero feel better but it doesn't.

It just hurts.

ix.

Dinner that night is awkward.

Clive forgoes raiding the fridge in favour of sitting at the table like a normal person. Laura keeps her head down the entire time while Jude tells them some long, boring story about another player on the team who keeps screwing up his leg whenever he cannonballs into his pool.

“Shouldn't you be at home, Clive?” Jude asks when he realises that no one is paying attention or responding to what he's saying.

Clive and Laura share a look but no answer comes. There's probably something to it but Zero's feeling low enough as it is; he's not ready to force the truth out of anyone. Not today.

“I think I'm going to turn in,” he says quietly, pushing his plate aside. He's barely touched his chicken parmesan, but Clive will probably do justice to it.

Laura makes a disappointed noise and says, “Oh, but I wanted to hear Jude's explanation.”

Clive shakes his head at her. “You know, you remind me of my daughter. And that's not a compliment.”

Jude ignores Clive's comment and asks, “My explanation?”

“Lucas was here,” Laura explains with a steely glare. “He had some things to say about you.”

Jude's eyes widen and Zero can tell the exact moment he realises that they all know.

Jude runs a hand down his face and seems to deflate, his shoulders slumped as he murmurs, “He wasn't supposed to tell anyone.”

“I guess you put your trust in the wrong person,” Laura snaps, her eyes narrowed as she glares at Jude.

Zero should probably say something, or tell her to knock it off but the words don't come. They seem to be trapped in the tight ball of hurt currently residing in his chest.

Clive stands up and pulls Laura's chair back gently. “Come on, let's go. You can finish showing me how to create a timetable in Excel. Or whatever managerial skills you feel that I need to have.”

They bicker back and forth as they leave and Zero shakes his head warily.

“Gideon, I was going to tell you, I just... panicked,” Jude says frantically, eyes widening as he speaks. “First there was the video and Lucas was saying that I shouldn't distract you or get myself pictured with you in any shape or form, that you needed to be on top of your game and I'd only get in the way.”

Zero feels his neck stiffen. “He _said_ that?”

Jude looks down at the table and mumbles, “Yes.”

There’s a brief pause before he adds, “I thought that he was a friend, but all he wanted from me as a way into Oscar's good books. He... He's not the kind of person that either of us should cross. Not with what he knows.”

Zero purses his lips and relaxes them before he says, “Too late. We fired him.”

“What?” Jude's confusion would be adorable in normal circumstances, but right now it's just irritating. Did he really think they were going to keep Lucas around?

Zero picks at the tablecloth edge before he replies. “I don't care what he says about me. If he outs me or spreads malicious rumours. I don't even care that he _kissed_ you. I care about the fact that _you_ lied to me.”

“Gideon, I'm sorry,” Jude says again. “I didn't want to upset you and I wa--”

Zero stands abruptly before Jude can finish speaking. He looks down and says, “I'm the one who's sorry.”

  
x.

“Why is the toast in the shape of _hearts_ ?” Zero finds himself wondering the next morning. Jude's nowhere to be seen and he tries not to feel bad about it. He's not angry, just disappointed. Every time it seems like he and Jude are on the right page _something_ happens. It's starting to feel like they're never going to get it right.

“It just seemed like a day to use a toast stencil,” Laura replies cryptically.

Zero silently decides that he's not awake enough to care.

“My wife kicked me out,” Clive mumbles from where he's slumped on the table. “We might be getting divorced.”

That explains the weird tension from last night.

“Oh, please,” Laura says. “Apologize for whatever dumb thing that you did and buy her some diamond earrings and you'll be fine.”

Clive lifts his head up briefly. “When she's in this mood, not even diamonds will cut it.”

Laura rolls her eyes. “Try a hall pass, that ought to do it.”

Zero can't help laughing at that. “Ouch.”

Clive raises a hand to flip them the bird.

Laura turns her attention to Zero. “I don't know what you're laughing at. Your boyfriend kissed another guy. A guy who's available and not closeted. A guy who took an interest in his side of things. A guy who easily managed to make Jude convince you to do something that would tarnish your relationship.”

“What's your point?” Zero says, using the butter knife to cut the stupid toast into two broken pieces.

“My point is that Jude has you so twisted up that you took a video of both of you and posted it without a moment's thought,” Laura says. “And then he had to stand here and watch as you thought it was the worst thing you've ever done. Is it any wonder that he was confused?”

Clive's head is fully up when she's done talking, his eyes wide with wonder. “So you _are_ human after all?”

Laura throws a piece of toast at his head.

Zero would laugh at the display but she's right. The worst thing is that he knew this already, he just never stopped to truly see things from Jude's side. Sure, he asked Jude how he was doing, but maybe he didn't look past the surface of the answer given.It was just career, career, career and Jude last.

That's not the way it's supposed to be.

~

Jude doesn't show up for work. His office remains empty and unlocked. Zero takes a seat in the chair when he swings by for the fourth time and finally realises that Jude isn't going to be here today.

He's not sure how long he's been sitting there before Derek shows up.

“TMZ has it on _good_ authority that your little kiss wasn't a bet.*

Zero scoffs. “Harvey can go and fuck himself.”

“Hey, man, he's just the messenger. Clearly someone is feeding him this stuff,” Derek says. “Actually that's why I'm here. This new hotshot agent, Lucas, has got to _go._ He's your agent too right?”

“I fired him two days ago for kissing Jude.”

Derek stares at him with disbelief. “That good for nothing asshole.”

Zero raises an eyebrow and gives a wry snort. “I didn't know you were invested in my relationship, Derek.”

“I'm not,” Derek says hastily. “But I'm betting that Lucas masterminded the whole thing. You know he tried to _blackmail_ me? How does that work? He's been my agent for three months. At least wait a year. Maybe two. Enough to have some _decent_ blackmail material.”

Zero's always known that Derek was more of a blackmail kind of guy.

He grins at Derek and says, “What do you say we team up and teach Lucas a lesson?”

xi.

Jude's waiting at the house when Zero gets back from a party at the Playground. It's the same old story; reporters in his face, overzealous fans wanting to know if he's seriously into dick or just experimenting and some vague comments from Oscar about keeping his  _proclivities_ to himself.

He's starting to get used to it.

All he wants to do is face plant onto the bed and remain there until the morning but when he flips on the light, Jude's sitting there.

Zero practically jumps, his hand flying to his chest as his heart skips.

Jude offers him a sheepish smile when Zero recovers from the shock and sits down next to him. “Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.”

“I thought you were at Lionel's,” Zero points out, although now that he thinks about it, he got distracted by Derek before he could call her. “You weren't at the arena today.”

Jude wipes a hand across his face. “Wasn't in the mood. I...I missed you. I miss us. The way we were during your party before that video _ruined_ everything.”

“You mean before _I_ ruined everything,” Zero says glumly, his hands fidgety as he tries to come up with the right words. “I took that video and I jeopardised everything without a single thought. I'm so used to controlling my image and what I do and say but it's like...all of that flies out of the window when I'm with you.”

Jude's eyes soften and Zero starts to feel like he can breathe again. He's never been the most open guy, and even with Jude, it's more about what they don't say. Zero could say that the thought of losing Jude to someone who could give him _normal_ is like a hard punch to the gut, but he won't.

“I'm not innocent in this, I could have stopped you,” Jude replies with a shrug. “Plus, we were pretty drunk. That doesn't exactly scream rational thinking.”

There's a hint of a smile on Jude's face and Zero breathes a sigh of relief.

“So...what you're saying is that we should blame it on the alcohol?” he says, with the corner of his mouth upturned in a half-smirk.

Jude's face breaks out into a full on grin. “Something like that.”

“And Lucas?” Zero asks softly.

Jude sobers up instantly. “That was a mistake. A really stupid one. I would never do anything to hurt you, Gideon, he just...caught me off guard.”

Zero believes him, and he finds that he has no desire to discuss it further. Lucas will get what's coming to him, he'll make sure of that.

“Let's see we put it all out there,” he says suddenly. “You know, came clean about the video or whatever. Would you be okay with that?”

Jude's eyes seem to get stuck on a distant point momentarily before he meets Zero's eyes.

“Of course I would,” he says gently, his voice unwavering and confident. “But I'd be okay with it if we didn't tell anyone. All that matters to me is that we're together.”

Zero's life has been characterised by abandonment and the sense that no one really cares. He's never felt like someone truly has his back. Sure, he's paid various people over the years, but that's different. He could pay a million people and never be sure of how loyal they are until the money dries up.

With Jude, he doesn't have to worry about that.

“I love you,” he tells Jude. “More than I thought I would ever….y’know, love anyone. And I know that being with me isn't easy so if you ever wanted to l--”

“--I’m not going _anywhere_ ,” Jude interrupts. “I don't need an out, Gideon.”

Zero looks down at the ground. “It's just that my sister said that you were confused because I was acting like people knowing about us was this huge fucked up thing.”

Jude laughs. “Don't take this the wrong way, but your sister is kind of crazy. She also doesn't know me better than myself. Yeah, I was confused, but only because I was worried about _you_. You've worked too hard for everything to be jeopardised.”

Once again, Zero marvels at Jude's ability to lay it down simply.

He leans over and presses a chaste kiss to Jude's lips. Jude's warm hand is like a searing brand on his chest when it reaches up to touch him. He inches forward again and this time the kiss lasts longer; the sound of Jude's low groan reverberating in the room.

Zero pulls away long enough to unbutton his dark purple button down and tosses it onto the floor. Jude latches onto him and falls backward, taking Zero with him, the mattress creaking slightly under their weight. Zero straddles Jude's waist and pulls off his already loosened tie before making fast work of the buttons on his shirt. He kisses Jude's neck and he works his way down, stopping intermittently to pepper Jude's chest with butterfly kisses.His hands are working Jude's belt buckle when Jude’s hand runs through his hair gently.

“I've missed this,” Jude murmurs, his voice low with lust. “Missed _us_.”

“Me too.” Zero punctuates his words with the unclasping of the belt buckle and he turns his attention to Jude's zipper.

He knows that their discussion isn't really over. They still have to deal with Lucas and the ramifications of making their relationship public, but in the meantime…

...they have a _lot_ of making up to do.

xii.

“ _Oscar is a slimeball, everyone knows that, but if we play our cards right, he can be very useful to us. I'm talking investments, sending players our way. We just need to kiss his ass a little. Feed his ego for as long as it takes.”_

The noise in the stadium doesn't die down but the confused murmurs are plain to hear. Zero looks over from where he's standing and meets Derek's eyes. Lucas just happens to be in Oscar's personal box. Zero doubts that Oscar will take too kindly to the video that just rang out across the arena. It turns out that Lucas gets chatty after you put a couple of tequilas in him.

The second half of the game follows after that, with the Devils winning comfortably, putting them well into contention for the playoffs.

After the ref blows the final whistle, Jude appears along with the various other people on the court. There's a look of confusion on his face and it's obvious that he's curious about the video. Zero knows that he's got some explaining to do regarding Lucas, but right now it's the furthest thing from his mind.

Right now all he wants to do is kiss Jude.

So he does.

~

“Has anyone ever told you that you're an attention whore?”

Jelena Howard appears by Zero's side when he's done showering and changing and is on his way to the parking lot. Zero eyes her warily. He ‘dated’ her what seems like a lifetime ago when she and Terrence were on a break. He's barely given her a moment's thought since he met Jude.

He grins to cover up his annoyance. “You say that like it's a bad thing.”

Jelena's green eyes darken and she folds her arms. "Terrence and I announced our engagement just before the game."  
  
Zero frowns at her. “Congratulations?“

“Thanks to your little stunt no one cares anymore,” she says icily. “I hope you're happy with yourself.”

“Believe me, your engagement isn't exactly on my list of things to care about. Why don't you send a tweet. If you're lucky, I might even retweet it.”

Jelena follows when he begins to walk away from her. “You know, you can boast now, but you do realise that you've just made life ten times harder for yourself.”

Zero stops to consider this. It's true - kissing Jude in front of the entire arena possibly wasn't the best move, but there's only one opinion that matters to him.

Only one person who he needs to be okay with this.

That person kissed him back.

~

“This is bad,” Clive says as he pulls up the driveway leading to the house. They just about manage to dodge the rabid paparazzi, although, not before a few close calls. “That jackass is lucky that he didn't get run over.”

“I can't believe that you did that,” Laura says excitedly from the passenger's seat. “And you've got to tell me how you got that video of Lucas! Oscar must be _pissed.”_

Zero checks his phone one more time to see if Jude has called. _“_ I'm not sure who he's going to be angrier with - Jude _or_ Lucas.”

Laura cranes her neck backward and meets his eyes. “Still no word from Jude since he went to see Oscar?”

Zero shakes his head. “Nope.”

He just hopes that Oscar's not filling Jude's head with anymore of his poisonous bullshit. If it was up to him, Oscar would never talk to Jude again. However, there _is_ the small matter of him being Zero's boss.

Complicated doesn't even cover it.

“So to recap, you accidentally outed yourself, claimed it was bet, fired your agent after he kissed your boyfriend _and then_ deliberately outed yourself in front of thousands of people,” Clive helpfully informs him.

“Sounds about right,” he agrees for the lack of anything better to say.

“I hope you know what you're doing.”

Zero hopes he does too.

~

Jude's next to him when he wakes up. Or he's sitting on the end of the bed. All that matters is that he's _here._

“You're back,” Zero says, leaning over to switch on the lamp on the nightstand.

Even in the dim light, Jude's smile doesn't quite meet his eyes. “Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.”

Zero rolls his eyes fondly. “I was waiting for you. I must have fallen asleep. Anyway, what happened? Did Oscar read you the riot act?”

Jude snorts derisively and shakes his head. “He fired me. Or at least he tried to until I pointed out what a PR nightmare it would be.”

Zero raises an eyebrow and says, “I'm sure he wasn't too happy about that.”

“Lucas was there too,” Jude replies, chewing at his bottom lip when he looks back up at Zero. “I think he was grovelling when I got there.”

Zero shrugs. Lucas isn't his problem anymore. He knows that he needs a new agent to help him through _coming out_ and that he's probably going to lose out on more deals. However, it all pales in comparison to this thing that he's got with Jude.

It's way more important than basketball and he can finally admit that to himself without feeling like it's wrong. Or like he's throwing something away.

“We might need him,” Jude adds, shifting so that he's facing Zero directly. “He's one of the best agents in town.”

Zero already knows that. He's just not desperate enough to go crawling back to the douchebag who has trouble keeping his hands off his boyfriend.

“I don't need anybody,” Zero tells Jude. “Except for you.”

The corner of Jude's mouth upturn even as he says, “What about your career, Gideon? This isn't going to be easy.”

Zero scratches at his ear briefly while he considers his answer.

In the end he says, “Screw that. All that matters to me right now is the fact that we've got each other.”

There's more that he could say, hell he could wax lyrically for the next fifteen minutes, but all it takes is a look and Zero knows that they're on the same page.

It doesn't get much better than that.

“Oh, shit.” Zero looks over to see Jude frowning at his phone.

“What? What is it?”

Jude holds up the phone. It's a YouTube video of their kiss. “My mom is going to kill me when she sees this.”

Zero can't help the urge to laugh, but he bites at his lips and tries to hide his smile because Jude looks so serious.

“Don't worry, I'll protect you,” he tells Jude in what he hopes is a reassuring tone.

“Oh, she's probably going to want to kill you too,” Jude retorts with a heavy sigh. He fingers his collar and clenches his jaw. It's obvious that he's genuinely concerned and it's only then that Zero realises that he's never heard much about Jude's mother past her helping him get the job with the Devils.

Still, that's a discussion for another time.

Zero clasps his chest dramatically. “It would be a cause worth dying for.”

This time Jude offers him a bemused smile before he turns away and bursts out laughing. “You're crazy.”

“That's what you love about me,” Zero says with a grin.

Jude’s face seems to glow in the light when he meets Zero's eyes and says, “I love everything about you.”

Zero purses his lips and tried to ignore the way his heart is pounding in his chest. “Even the fact that I'm a cover hog?”

“Let's add the way you're cheapening the moment to the list,” Jude says, although he looks more amused than anything.

“I love everything about you too,” is Zero's (somewhat delayed) response.

Jude stands up then, pausing briefly to look down at Zero. “You better.”

Zero laughs gently as Jude heads over to get master bathroom.

This time when he drifts off into sleep, there's a faint smile on his face.

_fin._

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be the last part but there's probably going to be one more.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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